Webinar: RV Aerobatics --- Tuesday 7 PM Central

[ronschreck]

I will be hosting an EAA webinar on Tuesday evening (March 27th) at 7:00 PM central time to discuss RV Aerobatics. I?ll cover equipping your RV for aerobatics, the basics of aerobatic maneuvers and an introduction to competition aerobatics. This is not strictly for the competitor. Any RV pilot who is interested in becoming a safer pilot or those who just want to fly aerobatics for fun will get something out of this webinar. The webinar will last about one hour and you will have an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation or any time here on VAF. Click HERE to sign up for the webinar. Hope to see you there.

Ron Schreck

[donaziza]

Already bookmarked Ron. If you're not already planning, please explain (in your webinar) about maneuvers to the left coming out much better, than to the right. OK, prop spinning right torque, I know, but even applying that knowledge, I still can't get them as good to the right as to the left.

[ronschreck]

Originally Posted by donaziza

Already bookmarked Ron. If you're not already planning, please explain (in your webinar) about maneuvers to the left coming out much better, than to the right. OK, prop spinning right torque, I know, but even applying that knowledge, I still can't get them as good to the right as to the left.

Hi Don,

I don't specifically address this in the webinar (but I might since you bring it up) but I'll mention it here just in case.

The only maneuver that is significantly impacted by torque effect is the hammerhead turn. Since you are at full power at the initiation of the turn it is always easier and preferable to turn left. Spins are not impacted by torque or P-factor as the engine is at idle and the effect is negligible. In fact, some RVs spin better to the right than the left. This is primarily due to small differences in trim. In competition you will need to know how to consistently perform spins in both directions but hammerheads should always be done to the left unless your propeller turns counter to the norm as with a M14 radial engine.

[donaziza]

Right aileron rolls, right barrel rolls not affected?? (If it's not torque affecting my bad right aileron rolls and right barrel rolls, then I don't know what the heck is happening, or why they work out so much better to the left) ( Maybe I should fly stuff to the right with my left hand??)

[Snowflake]

Signed up for this a couple of weeks back when it came out in the EAA mailing. Looking forward to it!

[sandifer]

Originally Posted by donaziza

Right aileron rolls, right barrel rolls not affected?? (If it's not torque affecting my bad right aileron rolls and right barrel rolls, then I don't know what the heck is happening, or why they work out so much better to the left) ( Maybe I should fly stuff to the right with my left hand??)

Nah, it's natural to roll a little better and more naturally one way vs. the other. Takes some work get them automatic in both directions. There's nothing about torque, slipstream, or gyroscopic effects that would favor a basic roll one way or the other at aileron rolls speeds. As already mentioned, there can be minor differences in spin characteristics left vs. right. Same with snaps, but you should be able to do snaps and spins both directions once you reach a certain level in competition acro.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by ronschreck

Spins are not impacted by torque or P-factor as the engine is at idle and the effect is negligible. In fact, some RVs spin better to the right than the left. This is primarily due to small differences in trim.

Could there be some effect from fuselage asymmetry? Didn't the early RV's have a vertical stab offset, and later ones have an engine mount offset?

[ronschreck]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

Could there be some effect from fuselage asymmetry? Didn't the early RV's have a vertical stab offset, and later ones have an engine mount offset?

Engine and vertical stabilizer offset is common on many airplanes but no combination of offset completely negates the effect of asymmetric blade effect (P-factor), torque and slipstream effect. P-factor is proportional to angle of attack so it is more pronounced at low airspeeds and is countered by rudder. Torque is always present when the engine is turning and is countered by aileron. Slipstream effect is the spiral slipstream generated by the propeller which impinges primarily on the left side of the vertical tail surfaces and is most evident at low speeds and is countered by rudder. All of these forces are impinging upon the aircraft at varying speeds, angle of attack and power settings. NONE can be completely negated at all speeds by any preset engine or rudder offset. Most designers try to optimize engine and trim for cruise airspeed which is not the flight regime that the aerobatic aircraft spends most of it's time. Therefore it is up to you, the pilot to correct for these factors by making the proper control inputs at all speeds and regardless of aircraft angle of attack or attitude. Few pilots come close to perfectly countering the above forces plus the effect of wind. Perfection is unattainable but the pursuit of perfection is a challenge worth the effort.

[ronschreck]

Hope you can join me. The webinar will last about one hour and you will have an opportunity to ask questions at the conclusion. HERE is a link to sign up.

[RV8Squaz]

I wished I could join you Ron! But, Im headed to work then. See you next week at Dunnellon.